Month: September 2015

Joining the WEREWOLVES OF BROOKLYN–Review and Giveaway

WoB-bannerHi there! I’m so excited to share my review of Brad Vance’s WEREWOLVES OF BROOKLYN, a historical, paranormal, M/M adventure/romance. I really dug the new mythology Brad’s unleashed, and look forward to more stories in this series.

WoB-CoverAbout the book:
Darien Mackey wasn’t looking for an adventure. For ten years, he’d been happy living in Brooklyn, working as a butcher in the same job, living in the same apartment, dating some “nothing-special” guys. Until one night his buddy Jacob talked him into taking ayahuasca, the soul-changing drug. And Darien had a vision…of a wolf, its all-too-human eyes on him, its paws on his chest, its enquiring mind in his own…

Darien Mackey is changing. He’s more confident, more assertive, hungrier, hornier. And his world is changing around him – his job, his home, his beloved Mechanic’s Library all falling victim to the predations of unscrupulous developers, bent on demolishing the old Brooklyn he loves and replacing it with a forest of condos. But he’s no longer a passive observer of his own life, and as this thing, this power, grows inside of him, he resolves to fight back, to preserve the way of life he loves.

And he’s not alone in the fight. The Lipsius Preservation Society of Brooklyn stands ready to assist in the battle, even though it seems like a bit of a joke to Darien, with its King and its Duke, Marquess, Earl and Viscount.

But there’s nothing funny about his growing attraction to Albeus Finley, King of this mysterious Court. And when slumlords and condo-mongers start to die mysterious, violent deaths at the hands of savage animals, Darien begins to realize that something is afoot in Brooklyn – something supernatural.

And it’s afoot in him, too…

A little teaser:

The wolf’s eyes were lava-yellow with hate. His growl and his snarl were meant to terrify Darien, to freeze him in his tracks, prepare him for his death.

Then something rose up in Darien, rage, frustration, primal energy. And his own lips curled, his own growl met the enemy’s.

The Duke retreated a pace, taken aback. Darien felt sharp pains in his palms and looked down. Where he’d had fingernails, he had claws, long and sharp, and the fists he was making were digging them into his flesh.

He smiled, exhilarated, wild. He lunged and snapped at his enemy, knowing that his canines had become…literally that, elongated spikes ready to tear out a neck.

Darien’s ears were ringing, something surging in him beyond mortal feeling – like testosterone but stronger, more powerful, the smell of victory, immortality.

“The King is mine,” Darien declared. “And I am his.”

He knew he’d taken a step from which there was no turning back. He was the King’s man, the King’s consort. He would open to Albeus and take him, and be taken by him, and he would be alone no more.

He was one of the pack.

And it curdled the blood of men for miles around when he raised his face to the full moon, and howled.

My Review:
I must admit, I’m addicted to shifter stories. I’ve read dozens by now, and I was so engaged in this one. It’s not the normal “guy gets bitten” story, though. In fact, the mythos regarding transformation was completely new to me and gave the story a freshness I didn’t expect.

Darien is a man out of time. He lives in contemporary Brooklyn but he doesn’t have a TV or a computer. He has restored his apartment to it’s Old World charm, and has learned to be a craftsman butcher, traveling to Italy, Poland and other areas to learn from the masters. He’s an apprentice to Mr. Nowak who is more father than employer. Every Sunday he sits to dinner with the Nowak’s and Darien is a part of their family–well, until money comes into the matter. Mr. Nowak is offered $12 million for his property, including his business and Darien’s apartment above it. The Nowak family is clamoring to sell, but Mr. Nowak is holding out for Darien to find a new job, a new home, and the family is growing impatient.

Also impatient are the real estate developers who cannot wait to carve the history and soul out of Darien’s once down-rodden Brooklyn slum, as expertly as Darien would carve a side of beef. Gentrification is ripping the heart right out of the area, and the historic Mechanic’s Library is on the chopping block, as well. Invigorated by an experience with Amazonian medicine, (read: psychadelic trip) Darien cannot sit on the sidelines any longer. Becoming an activist for the first time in his life, Darien meets all the members of a community he’d lived in yet hardly experienced. Among them the Court.

Darien thought the Lipsius Preservation Society would be a consortium of billionaires who’d never worked a day and had money to blow–and he was so, so wrong. Their Old World manners belied a secret world that Darien was only beginning to experience. And, as his hungers become more and more primal, Darien knows that Albeus, King of the Court, is the secret to understanding his brave new world.

I really was taken by Darien–such an old soul. His attraction to Albeus is immediate, and Albeus senses this, but the physicality comes so much later. Darien doesn’t understand the full ramifications of his dabbling in the spectral plane, but he does get that he is forever changed, and that his transformation is not complete. His energy is through the roof, he’s ravenous, and his sexual appetite is far more physical than previously. Albeus is a bit stunned by the rapid pace of Darien’s transition, but he’s grateful–it seems clear the connection between them is more than camaraderie, in contrast to that with the bulk of the Court. No, Albeus and Darien believe they are mates–and move all the more slowly to cement a permanent bond.

In the backdrop are the realty haggles, personal tragedy, and Albeus’ own transformation story. The book is so well-developed and richly textured I could see it all unfold through Darius and Albeus’ eyes the entire time. I really loved the slow burn, but I’d have liked a bit more sexytimes, too.

Young male fashion model posing outdoors against rustic background

Interested? You can find WEREWOLVES OF BROOKLYN on Goodreads and Amazon.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win on of three ecopies of WEREWOLVES OF BROOKLYN.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
Brad Vance writes gay romance, erotica and paranormal stories and novels, including the breakout hits “A Little Too Broken” and “Given the Circumstances.” Keep up with Brad at BradVanceErotica.wordpress.com, email him at BradVanceErotica@gmail.com, and friend him on Facebook at facebook.com/brad.vance.10.

You can catch up with Brad online on his website, Goodreads, Facebook, email, twitter, and Pinterest

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They Found Themselves SATED–Review & Giveaway

tourbutton_sated
Hi there! Today I’m sharing my review for SATED, an erotic paranormal, menage novella from Lucy Felthouse. This one is a real scorcher!

There’s an excerpt below and also a giveaway for a $10 AllRomance gift card, too!

SatedAbout the book:
A human, a vampire and a werewolf walked into a bar. Sexy is what happens next.

Since getting together with her vampire boyfriend, Ace, Aneesa is enjoying a sex life she could never have with a human. Ace has skill, strength, stamina…and is massively adventurous. Aneesa is checking things off her sexual bucket list at a rate of knots. However, she hasn’t even come close to experiencing the ultimate item on her list. So when Ace beats her to it, proposing a threesome with his werewolf friend, Barton, Aneesa’s definitely up for it.

Barton is attractive, smart and sexy—almost too good to be true, in fact. Aneesa decides not to jump straight into things, but makes sure it’s what she truly wants. However, it turns out Barton’s not so easily dissuaded.

Will Aneesa get the ultimate erotic experience she’s desired for so long? Will she be truly sated, or is the plan doomed to failure?

Some thoughts from the author:
A Human, a Vampire and a Werewolf by Lucy Felthouse (@cw1985)

I had a couple of people ask me why I combined a human, a vampire and a werewolf in this story. The short answer is that the call for submissions for the story asked for humans, vampires and werewolves. Not all of them, necessarily, but as it was a paranormal call for submissions, clearly there had to be either a vampire or a werewolf. I decided to go whole hog and throw all three species into the mix and see what happened! Since the call also specified the stories should be ménage, it was an easy decision.

The call had heavy emphasis on the characters having needs, desires, an unquenchable thirst… I let my mind wander and it soon provided me with the solution. Along came Aneesa, a sassy, gorgeous Indian chick with lots of sexy needs and one hell of a bucket list. Add in one gorgeous vampire boyfriend with some useful contacts, and I ended up with a steamy story that garnered this reaction from a reviewer:

“This book ticked all of these boxes and then some. Aneesa is the luckiest human lady alive. Not only does she have a hot vampire boyfriend named Ace who ramps up the kink in her life but now his horny werewolf friend Barton wants a share too. I loved this story, it completely captivated me and I devoured it all in one sitting. The steamy ménage action is first class and scorching. I only have one complaint, I wanted more, more, more!” Karen Shenton

I had great fun writing this story, and I hope readers enjoy it, too!

Happy Reading,

Lucy x

How about a little taste?

With a quick nod, Barton turned back to the bar and attempted to get the attention of a member of staff. I took the opportunity to study Barton in greater detail without him knowing. Quite honestly, I really enjoyed what I saw. He was a tad taller than Ace, making him maybe three inches over six feet. Tight—but not obscenely so—jeans covered what looked like a very grabbable, bitable backside and thick thighs that were in perfect proportion with the rest of him. A narrow waist flared out to wide shoulders, encased in a short-sleeved T-shirt which showed off his physique. His arms, of course, were muscular, and looked as though even if he hadn’t been a werewolf, that he could throw me around in the bedroom. Mmm…

He also had a couple of tattoos peeking out of his sleeves, but I couldn’t see them properly. Providing things worked out, I’d have the opportunity to study his ink in great detail later. That and the rest of his no doubt delectable body.

Having stared for longer than was polite, even though he was facing the other way, I shifted my attention to Ace, who was watching me with an amused expression on his face.

“You like?” he mouthed.

I waggled my eyebrows theatrically in response, stopping suddenly as Barton turned to us, holding our drinks. We both took the ice-cold glasses and murmured our thanks.

“So,” Barton said, snagging his own drink, “shall we go and grab a booth?”

“Absolutely,” Ace replied, “lead the way, mate.”

As we followed Barton past a group of guys at the pool table, I tried to get my brain in gear for some conversation. Although I hadn’t said it out loud, I did want to get to know him better before I considered getting naked and horizontal with him, so I needed to figure out what to say. I couldn’t rely on Ace and Barton to get the chatter going—they might fall into reminiscing about times gone by, or talking about sports or people I didn’t know.

As we reached an empty booth right in the corner, Ace stood aside and let me sit down first. I slid along the vinyl seat, and he moved in beside me. Barton sat opposite us, his bulk filling a good chunk of the space on his side of the table.

Damn, he really was handsome. I took a long swallow of my drink, using the time to check him out some more. His chin-length dark hair looked soft, strokeable—ideal for tangling one’s fingers into. And maybe tugging. His eyes were brown, with laughter lines at the corners, which were always a positive note in my book. If someone laughed a lot, then they were either fun, or had a lot of fun. Both were good with me. His nose was long, not over-large, and had been broken, likely more than once. Finally, his mouth—possibly the best part of him. That I could see, anyway. Sinful, tempting lips, straight white teeth, and a dimple in his left cheek.

Putting my glass down on the table, I crunched on an ice cube, preparing to ask my first question to get the conversational ball rolling. Barton beat me to it.

My Review:
This is a quickie ménage scene that answers the question: what happens when a vampire, a werewolf and a human walk into bar?

Aneesa is a human in love with a sexy, non-sparkling vampire, Ace. They’ve been dating for eight years, enjoying the many splendors of love with each other, but both have a ‘bucket list’ ménage fantasy to tick off. Ace has chatted with his friend, Barton, a werewolf with an insatiable sex drive, about the possibilities, and he’s down for it. (Or should I say up for it?) Regardless, Barton wants to get it on, and isn’t above a bit of (harmless) stalking to get the party rolling.

Thing is, Aneesa’s simultaneously put off and aroused by Barton’s interest. The deed goes forth with sexy results.

For a sexy short, it packs a lot of heat, and the whimsical writing kept me smiling throughout. Looking forward to more…

Interested? You can find SATED on Goodreads, Totally Bound, Amazon: UK, US, AU, and CA; All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, iBooks UK, iBooks US, and Kobo.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the link below for your chance to win a $10 GC to AllRomance.
Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over 100 publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women’s Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house.

She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at her website, join her on Facebook and Twitter, or even subscribe to her newsletter.

Happy Book Birthday to THE FOXGLOVE KILLINGS! Excerpt and Giveaway

foxglove killings blitz bannerHi there! Today I’m sharing in the release day blitz for Tara Kelly’s YA suspense novel THE FOXGLOVE KILLINGS. This one looks fascinatingly creepy. Don’t forget to pop down and enter the giveaway.

foxglove coverAbout the book:
Gramps always said that when the crickets were quiet, something bad was coming. And the crickets have been as silent as the dead. It started with the murdered deer in the playground with the unmistakable purple of a foxglove in its mouth. But in the dying boondock town of Emerald Cove, life goes on.

I work at Gramps’s diner, and the cakes―the entitled rich kids who vacation here―make our lives hell. My best friend, Alex Pace, is the one person who gets me. Only Alex has changed. He’s almost like a stranger now. I can’t figure it out…or why I’m having distinctly more-than-friend feelings for him. Ones I shouldn’t be having.

Then one of the cakes disappears.

When she turns up murdered, a foxglove in her mouth, a rumor goes around that Alex was the last person seen with her—and everyone but me believes it. Well, everyone except my worst enemy, Jenika Shaw. When Alex goes missing, it’s up to us to prove his innocence and uncover the true killer. But the truth will shatter everything I’ve ever known about myself—and Alex.

How about a little taste?

Alex saw it first.

We were cutting through Neahkahnie Park, the morning sun warm on our backs. I was telling him we should take his grandpa’s El Camino SS and drive down the coast to California for the summer.

“He left that car to you,” I said. “You know he did.” I reached over to muss his light brown hair. It always stood straight up afterward, as if he’d been electrocuted.

“We can’t, Nova. I—” He stopped walking, his eyes widening at the playground.

Clumps of fur blew across the grass, like the cotton blooms did in July. I didn’t think it was real at first. Some kid’s stuffed animal, maybe.

But the stench was unmistakable. I’d practically been raised in my grandpa’s diner. I knew the smell of meat past its prime. Raw. Metallic. Even a little sweet.

A deer’s carcass was a twisted heap in the playground, its legs jutting out like winter branches. Bits of flesh, ranging in color from pink to dark red, were strewn across the wood chips. The head of the deer sat on the middle bucket swing. A misty film covered its eyes, and its mouth was open, as if it were gasping for air.

My stomach muscles began to knot.

I saw a dog get hit by a semi once. The scene replayed in my mind for months. The thud of the impact, the way he’d yelped. The last second of that dog’s life seemed to echo forever.

This was worse. Someone planned this. Put it on display, like it was entertainment.

“What the hell…” Alex said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Don’t look.”

Alex had been on an animal-saving crusade since birth. He’d tried to bring a rabbit back to life the day I met him.

In fifth grade he’d called the police on his neighbor for yelling at her cat.

This wasn’t something he could handle. Especially not now.

“There’s nothing you can do,” I said, the words slipping out automatically.

“I know. I’m not nine anymore.” He glanced down at his busted Vans. Years of skateboarding had turned them from black to gray.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yeah, you did.” He held my gaze this time. His eyes looked almost yellow in dull light. Usually they were green.

I knew whatever came out of my mouth wouldn’t be the right thing to say. He’d been so weird since his grandpa died last month. Happy one minute. Pissed off the next. Sometimes he didn’t talk at all.

I slowly moved toward the deer, wishing I could ignore its vacant eyes, the drone of the flies pecking at its belly. My gramps used to clean up crime scenes back in the day. He swore by downing a few dozen peppermint Tic Tacs, claiming it obliterated his sense of smell. He was also a chain smoker…

A handful of mints wouldn’t take this image out of my head. Nothing would.

“We should call someone,” Alex said behind me.

Neither of us had a cell phone. He couldn’t afford one, and my mom thought they caused brain cancer.

I held my breath, trying not to gag. If I wanted to be a detective one day, this was the crazy shit I’d be dealing with. Too bad I’d inherited my mom’s weak stomach.

Something bright purple sat on top of the deer’s limp tongue. Darker spots peppered the inside, like a rash.

As I leaned closer, I realized it was a wilted foxglove. Or deadmen’s bells, as Mom called them. They were bell-shaped flowers that grew all over coastal Oregon. When I was little, she told me not to eat them or I’d end up like Sleeping Beauty. I used to think they belonged to the fairies. The evil ones, anyway.

A chill swept across my skin, the kind that came from inside.

Click here to continue reading Chapter 1!

Interested? You can find THE FOXGLOVE KILLINGS on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo Books.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on the Rafflecopter link for your chance to win one of three prize packs from Tara Kelly!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

foxglove authorAbout the Author:

Tara Kelly adores variety in her life. She’s an author, one-girl-band, graphic designer, editor, and photographer. She lives in Sin City with her beloved guitars, sound design master husband, and a fluffy cat named Maestro.

Find Tara online on her website, Goodreads, and Twitter, and Facebook.

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